


Of Feral Chiss, Teenage Jedi and Very Happy Lizards

by FreakCityPrincess



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: Thrawn Series - Timothy Zahn (2017)
Genre: Angst, Enemies to reluctant allies, Ezra is Son TM, F/M, Fatherly Instincts Activated but Suppressed, Gen, In which Thrawn and Ezra debate ethics, M/M, Minor Sabezra, Minor Thranto, Unknown Regions, adopt a ysalamir, and learn to get along, build a shelter, cute lizards as ice breakers, post rebels finale, spoiler thrawn gives in to dad urges, survival adventure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-03
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:40:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23095729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreakCityPrincess/pseuds/FreakCityPrincess
Summary: Cut off from the rest of the known galaxy with only the faintest chance of escaping their predicament, Ezra and Thrawn make an unexpected new friend, and find unexpected allies in each other.
Relationships: Ezra Bridger & Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo, Ezra Bridger/Sabine Wren, Thrass | Mitth'ras'safis & Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo, Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo/Eli Vanto
Comments: 34
Kudos: 217





	Of Feral Chiss, Teenage Jedi and Very Happy Lizards

**Author's Note:**

> This is all thanks to the folks on the Twitter Chiss group chat, who have been talking about Ezra's discovery of the Ysalamir and Thrawn's instant adoration for the little creatures for a while now.
> 
> For the sake of this fic, the Ysalamiri can't do their Force-neutral bubble thing. Enjoy!

"We've been at this for _days,_ " complained Ezra Bridger, fully-fledged Jedi, powerful weilder of the Force and Saviour of Lothal. "When are we going to have enough logs to build this thing?" 

"When I say so," replied Thrawn evenly, not sounding in the least bit exhausted after two hours of chopping wood. They hadn't had axes, so they'd taken to targeting the weaker, narrower barks that could break if the right amount of pressure was applied to the right place, for the right amount of time. Ezra hadn't the faintest idea how Thrawn knew such an obscure piece of information pertaining to the wild when the Chiss had spent his days aboard a Star Destroyer cut off from all natural light, but he'd stopped asking questions weeks ago. 

He needed Thrawn's obscure expertise to survive, and Thrawn needed Ezra's Force abilities to save his injured ass from the many dangers that lurked on this planet. It was a mutual arrangement and Ezra had come to realize all on his own that without the Emperor's orders to be hostile to rebels, Thrawn had no interest in being his enemy. It had been...unnerving, to say the least, to see the Chiss who'd hunted him and his crew for so long to be so indifferent. 

Thrawn felled one more of the narrow-barked trees, toppling it with ruthless efficiency like a man who'd done this half a dozen times before. Ezra eyed Thrawn's growing pile with the tiniest hint of petty jealousy－ his own pile amounted to only four logs, while Thrawn had collected double the amount. 

Thrawn seemed to be thinking the same thing. "Perhaps you should abandon this task and put yourself to better uses." 

Ezra snorted. "Oh, gee, _thanks._ You're about two hours too late to realize that." 

He gave his current tree one last, lingering look of disdain and a bit of embarrassment, before letting his shoulders drop in a heavy sigh. Ezra was about to turn around and head back into the clearing to rest awhile, when something scampered across his feet. 

"Woah!" he exclaimed, taking a quick step back. The thing, whatever it was, had managed to get entangled around his ankle, and Ezra looked down to find a small orange lizard with four beady black eyes blinking up at him. 

"Hey, what's the matter, little guy?" he asked, slowly leaning down to gently coax the creature from its snare. When the lizard looked at his curiously and made a loud, whirring noise that reminded him of Chopper, Ezra held his hands out and scooped the unresisting creature into his hands. "Look what I found!"

Thrawn looked, wiping sweat off his brow for the first time that day. He raised one perfectly shaped eyebrow. "And what is so interesting about the local fauna, Bridger?" 

Ezra rolled his eyes. The lizard squawked happily. "Does everything have to serve a purpose to you? It's a cute little critter. Unless you're one of those terrible people who don't like cute animals?" 

Thrawn didn't bother gracing him with a reply and went back to tugging at the cord around the bark. Ezra cradled the purring lizard to his chest and headed back to the clearing. 

"You're a funny thing, aren't you? What do you need four eyes for? Hey, no licking!" 

When he was fairly certain Bridger was too occupied with his new find and far away enough, Thrawn let himself rest his forehead against the smooth bark. 

He had survived similar conditions on his own before. Would an annoying Jedi teen make the task easier, or a lot more difficult? 

The orange lizard hadn't left his side even once he'd set it down, but Ezra wasn't complaining. Of all the things he'd learned to do as a Jedi, connecting to other living beings through the Force was his favoruite, and what he was best at. He loved the feeling of life around him, the empathy that the Force allowed him to feel for creatures he would otherwise never understand, and the connectedness of everything that served as a reminder that no one was truly ever gone. 

His parents, Kanan－ they lived in the Force now, and with him. He would always miss them, but less so when he was completely surrounded by the Force. 

Ezra tickled the lizard under its scaly chin with a finger before settling in to sleep for the night. They had finally found a decent, strategically sound location, and Thrawn had insisted on having a proper shelter constructed as soon as possible. At first Ezra had thought the Chiss was being fussy, until the first morning he'd worked up with splinters in his back and a million bug-bites all over his face. 

However, just before he drifted off, he noticed the lizard's ears perk up animatedly. Danger? No, that wasn't it, Ezra would sense it. 

Sure enough, Thrawn's boots came into view, and Ezra watched in surprise as the lizard scampered around the Admidal's feet and even lingered once the Chiss sat on his own makeshift blanket. 

"Bridger." 

Ezra's eyes were dropping closed. "Mmhhm?" 

"What does the creature want?" 

"Dunno," muttered Ezra, turning over so his back was to Thrawn. "Be nice." 

His world went pleasantly dark. 

Thrawn was having a strange dream. 

Which, in and of itself, was unusual; he hardly ever dreamt, and when he did, it was usually a hazy recollection of past events played from subconscious memory. But not this time. 

He was on Csilla, whose ground he hadn't stood on for over ten years. Crystal-white snow capped the mountains on the horizon. Csilla's seven moons were opaque in the morning sky. 

A Star Destroyer hung in orbit, its underbelly painted. 

"You came back," said a familiar voice. 

Thrawn stiffened. "Thrass." 

A Chiss with distinctive features to match his stepped out of nowhere to stand by his side, chuckling lightly. 

"It's been a long time. Did you miss me?" 

"No," he lied. 

"That's a lie," sniffed Thrass. 

The moons started to dim in the sky, which took on a twinge of red, bleeding like diluted paint onto a canvas. 

"It is," admitted Thrawn, if only to himself, because when he looked over his shoulder, his brother was gone. 

"We need to name him," said Ezra Bridger. 

"I presume you mean the creature who is yet to leave our sights." 

"He's not going to just _leave_ us. He likes us. He'll stay for as long as he wants, and I think we should name him." 

Thrawn did not, as a habit, _snort_ , but it was taking a great deal of restraint not to break that habit at the moment. "If you wish to name the creature, that is of course your right." 

Ezra picked the lizard up from where it had been nestled comfortably between Thrawn's booted feet. He hadn't failed to notice that the former Grand Admiral hadn't tried to shake it off, and had been considerate not to crush it. 

"I think we'll name him...Kallus." 

Thrawn really _did_ look at him funny at that. "You cannot be serious." 

"He's _orange_ ," said Ezra in defiance, as if this was a very logical argument that Thrawn shouldn't even attempt to dispute. And he didn't. If only because it wasn't worth disputing. 

"On second thoughts, no," said Ezra, letting the lizard drop onto his lap and curl contentedly against his shirt. "That might get weird, in certain contexts. I can't say _stop licking me, Kallus!_ That would just be plain weird." 

Thrawn looked at him like he was the most damning, confusing puzzle in the known galaxy. Ezra huffed, ignoring the judgemental and critically analyzing gaze. 

"We could call him...Fern! Because we found him in the ferns! Or...Bean. Or Thomas."

Thrawn tried to pick out the strings of Bridger's reasoning, looked for a common thread in his suggestions－ but there seemed to be none whatsoever. His thoughts were random, chaotic, and unvetted. 

"Can you stop looking so _judgy_?" 

"Is there a reason you suggest the last two names?" 

"Uh, no? I just thought of them." 

"Interesting." 

Ezra flinched away, scowling. "Stop psycho-analyzing everything I say and do!"

Thrawn shrugged, and went right back to stoking the fire that was providing them with warmth for the night. 

_Smoff Tarkin－_ as Bridger now called the lizard, along with _Admiwal Twawn_ and _Captain Monch_ － had taken a particular liking to _Admiral Thrawn,_ which the Chiss did not fully understand. He hadn't been as accommodating to the creature as Bridger had been; why would it seek his company instead? 

Within a few orbital rotations, their wooden shelter was complete. They took opposite sides of the boxy enclosure as their own, and Captain Monch followed Thrawn, crawling into the front pocket of the bag carrying his few possessions. Thrawn did not mind it. They had established long ago that the lizard's skin wasn't poisonous. 

When he and Bridger had to head out of their shelter to hunt for food, Captain Monch tried to follow them. Its legs wouldn't carry it that far, so Thrawn lifted it and allowed it to perch on his shoulder for the journey. 

Bridger only commented on this after their first catch of the day, a bird that had been sitting on a low branch with incredibly unevolved reflexes. 

"You could've left Admiral Monch back at the shelter, you know," he informed him, rather cheekily. 

"I believe it was _Captain_ Monch." 

"Nope," said Bridger cheerily. "He's been promoted to Admiral." The Jedi reached over to pat the little lizard on the head. It chirped happily. "Congratulations, Admiral Monch." 

Thrawn did _not_ very nearly laugh. He did _not_ involuntarily chuckle. Instead he ignored Bridger's inspired idea and continued on their march back towards the shelter. 

They cooked the meat over a fire and split it evenly between them. The lizard scampered down off Thrawn's shoulder when Ezra made inviting clicking noises at it, holding out a piece of meat, which it studied curiously. 

"Its diet has consisted primarily of ferns," said Thrawn. 

Ezra looked up. "Hm?"

"It is herbivorous."

"Oh!" The young Jedi quickly withdrew his offering before the lizard could munch on it. Admiral Monch made a protesting noise, and Ezra petted him again. "Sorry, little guy. Bird is bad for you. Bird bad. Fern good." Ezra plucked handful of the little leaves from the ground and held it out in offering. "Fern good, Admiral Monch!" 

Thrawn narrowed his eyes judgementally, and instead of ask him not to do that, Ezra flipped him off with his free hand. 

Thrawn snorted. 

Ezra looked up sharply. Not only had Thrawn actually made an unintelligible noise for the first time, it had sounded suspiciously like amusement. Actually, coming from him, it felt like raucous laughter. 

"What?" he demanded. 

Thrawn shook his head. "You reminded me of something." Without further comment, he went back to his meal, which he picked apart with practiced ease. 

Ezra had come to know a handful of new things about the Chiss in the past couple of days. He was good at surviving a wilderness because he'd _done it before,_ apparently before his recruitment to the Empire. All Thrawn had said in response to question was that he had been exiled and that he'd lived on his exile world for a few years before the Empire had found him. Ezra _itched_ to know more, but that was all he got. Thrawn hadn't even told him _why_ he'd been exiled. Was it a sensitive topic? 

"Flipping you off reminded you of something?" pressed Ezra, determined to, at least, win this round of the information trade-off. 

Thrawn didn't bother answering, and Ezra scooped the lizard into his hands and glared at Thrawn, tilting the creature forward as if he, too, was glaring at him. Admiral Monch only tilted his head adorably to the side and purred, so it didn't quite achieve the effect Ezra was going for. 

"You are disappointing both of us." 

"Admiral Monch does not look particularly _disappointed_."

Ezra lowered the lizard back down to the pile of leaves. "You're the worst. What's it going to take to have a civilized conversation with you?" 

Thrawn arched an eyebrow. "I see. The comfort of companionship is lost to you, and you feel at odds with this new state of things without such a key component of your life before." 

Ezra scowled. "Again with the analyzing. I'm a person, not a painting, Thrawn. So could we have just _one_ civilized conversation as people?"

Thrawn regarded him with an unreadable expression for ten long, uncomfortable seconds, before finally conceding with a nod. 

But he didn't say anything. Ezra fidgeted. Could he have possibly asked for _worse_ company?

"Twenty questions," declared Ezra into the awkward silence. 

Thrawn raised both eyebrows. "I am familiar with this game. However, I have never partaken." 

It was Ezra's turn to snort derisively. " _Of course_ you haven't. Do you want to start, or shall I?" 

"I will not promise to answer every question you ask."

"No, I don't expect you to," said Ezra dryly. Then, because the air between them was edging towards that uncomfortable awkwardness again, he playfully poked the lizard and asked it, "How about we start with _you,_ Admiral? Okay? What's your favourite thing to eat?" 

_Thrass would have liked Bridger,_ thought Thrawn. He was instantly surprised with himself. Where had that thought come from? 

But it was an honest assessment, however unconscious. Thrass would have gotten along well with anyone who grated on Thrawn's last nerve in a harmless but irritating manner. 

"And what was the Admiral's answer?" asked Thrawn mildly. He might as well embrace the strangeness, seeing as he would be stuck with it for the foreseeable future. 

"He's munching on it right now," said Bridger with a grin, looking up. "Alright, you can have first shot. Ask me something. Also, I can choose not to answer."

"Fair enough," said Thrawn. Perhaps this wasn't such a bad idea on Bridger's part; after all, how many Imperial officers got an opportunity to interrogate a rebel who was _offering_ answers? "For what reasons does the Force manifest in individuals?" 

The young Jedi looked momentarily taken aback. "What? Seriously?" 

"I am interested in confirming what my limited research in the area has told me." 

Ezra narrowed his eyes. "You're so much fun, you know that? And to answer your question, I don't know why the Force chooses people. Some people are bord with midichlorians in their blood, some aren't. They allow you to connect with the Force on a deeper level." 

Thrawn nodded, taking in this information. "Exactly as I found. Unfortunately, this phenomenon has never been successfully scientifically tested." 

"Maybe? I haven't heard of Jedi being super into science." Ezra smirked a little at the thought of Jedi in both robes and lab coats. "Okay, my turn. What did I remind you of earlier when I flipped you off?" 

Thrawn paused, and for a moment Ezra thought he was going to refuse to answer it. It wouldn't have surprised him. Before he could interject and change his question, however, Thrawn spoke. 

"The first time I encountered the gesture given that particular meaning was when I was at the Imperial Academy. I had seen similar gestures before that were used as marks of respect." 

"Respect?" Ezra asked incredulously. "No way. This is universal for 'kriff off'."

"In your region of the galaxy, perhaps," said Thrawn. "It is different in the Unknown Regions." 

Ezra's eyes widened in interest. "You come from the Unknown Regions?"

"I believe you have already asked your question for the round." 

The Jedi looked none too happy about his dismissal, but he relented nonetheless. "Like I'm not going to ask the same thing again in a few minutes." As if on cue, the lizard decided it was bored of munching on the ferns, and gave a loud chirp before hopping onto Ezra's lap. The Jedi grinned, delighted. 

"Sorry, Admiral, I know it was your turn. Do you have a question for one of us?" 

The lizard squawked. Ezra leaned in closer, his face pinching in concentration. "Hm? What's that? You want to ask Thrawn where he comes from?"

Thrawn didn't quite roll his eyes, but he didn't quite smile, either. He looked, for certain, absolutely unsurprised. "I believe that would classify as cheating."

Ezra looked appalled. "It's not. Admiral Monch is very much part of this game." 

For all of two seconds Thrawn looked like he was about to logically dispute this, but to Ezra's satisfaction, he decided against it. Thrawn addressed the little lizard when he answered the question. 

"My home planet is Csilla, which is located in the Unknown Regions."

Admiral Monch chittered happily. He wiggled out of Ezra's grip and crossed over to Thrawn in a hurry. The Chiss didn't protest when the lizard huddled comfortably into his shirt. 

"Interesting," observed Thrawn. "I am curious as to how Admiral Monch chooses between us. I did not think such territorial creatures would be eager for a change of scenery every so often. I have observed similar animals, during my exile; they hardly stray from familiar surroundings."

"He likes me and for some _weird_ reason, he likes you too," shrugged Ezra. "It's really that simple, don't overthink it." 

Thrawn shot him a look. 

Admiral Monch then proceeded to chew on his shirt, and Thrawn carefully pulled the lizard out of munching distance. "I believe it is my turn to ask a question of you, Bridger."

"Go ahead," said Ezra. 

He didn't fail to notice that the Chiss had let the lizard go, and the diminutive creature was once again chewing at his clothing, but he didn't seem to mind at all. Thrawn absently stroked the top of the creature's head as it did so, but his glowing red eyes never strayed from Ezra. 

"Are Imperial defectors common in your rebellion?" 

"Come _on_ ," groaned Ezra, throwing his arms up in frustration. "You ask the most _boring_ questions. Those aren't even questions about _me_. Anyway, you're not even with the Empire anymore. Why do you care?" 

"It is not yet my turn to answer."

Ezra scowled. "You are the worst. Fine. No, we don't have a great deal of Imperial defectors, but that could just be _my_ rebel cell. I've heard rumours of defectors being field operatives for our intelligence division, like inside men, and there are a handful on-base. Does that answer your question?" 

"Yes," said Thrawn, briefly glancing down at Admiral Monch and giving the lizard a firmer pat on the head. Ezra gawked. The Chiss looked back up as if he hadn't just visibly smiled at the lizard. "And I presume you still wish to know why I care." 

"Looks like we're getting somewhere," said Ezra. "Yeah, I'd like to know." 

Ezra had expected a disappointing answer, like _research_ or _I like to keep up with current affairs_ or _my art told me so_. 

He was thrown completely off-guard when the Chiss's voice turned softer. 

"Then I will have to tell you why I joined the Empire." 

_There are dangers in the Unknown Regions. Threats to my people, threats to yours._

Ezra rolled over in his makeshift sleeping bag, staring blank at the wall of their handmade hut. Part of him couldn't believe his life had come to this bizarre reality. The bigger part of his mind was trying to come to terms with all he had learned today. 

_Things far more evil than the Empire._

He had argued with Thrawn. Debated that no reason was good enough for joining the Empire, for doing the things he did. Thrawn had never once broken his facade of calm. He maintained his unbelievable stance of servicing the greater good by serving the Empire. 

Ultimately, their game had to be called off, because Ezra couldn't take any more of it. He'd angrily marched back to the hut, crawled into his sleeping bag and faced the opposite side from Thrawn's corner. That had been well over an hour ago. Ezra was no closer to sleep now than he'd been then. 

_Surely you can relate to acting in the defense of your people?_

Movement caught his eye in the dim blue light. Something landed in front of him, and four beady black eyes stared into his own restless gaze. 

"What are you doing there, Admiral Monch?" Ezra whispered, reaching a finger out to the little lizard. "I thought you slept over there?" 

The lizard crooned into his palm, seeking out his hand. Ezra absently rubbed the creature's head. Its noises of contentment grew louder. 

"Shh," Ezra chided. "Stop that. You're gonna wake the scary blue man." 

The lizard nipped at his finger, making him stifle a laugh. "That's the part that doesn't make _sense_ , Admiral. Why do you like him?" 

The creature jumped loser, nestling in the heat of his berth next to him. It immediately started to munch on the fabric. 

Ezra shifted up onto an elbow. "He doesn't make sense. He's cold and ruthless. I've seen him do horrible things, Admiral. Evil things. Does it make those things okay if he was doing them to protect his people?" 

The lizard wasn't even paying attention to him anymore, caught up in aggressively wrestling the sheets. Ezra settled back down, flipping onto his back, crossing his hands over his chest, closing his eyes. 

"I've hurt Imperials to protect my people. I mean, they were the enemy, and I didn't have a choice." 

The lizard made a loud purring noise. Ezra reached down to scratch its head with the tip of a finger. 

"Do you think Thrawn saw us as an enemy to his people, indirectly?" he murmured, more to himself now than the creature. "Does that put us on the same level?" 

He wasn't going to get any answers, of course. Not from the lizard, not from himself, not even from the Force. Ezra willed himself not to ask more questions there wouldn't be answers to. 

Exhaustion eventually drove him to peaceful sleep. 

"Have you ever been mistaken for a Pantoran?" 

Ezra had lost count of the number of days and nights they'd spent on this world. Their lives followed an almost cyclic routine; wake up, hunt, gather water, leave each other alone until the sky turned dark and convene for dinner that was sometimes partaken in silence, sometimes laden with conversation. Thrawn was not, Ezra reflected, exactly the worst person to be stranded with; the Chiss seemed to have a wide range of interests and enough knowledge about them that he never ran out of facts to talk about. Whenever he felt like talking, anyway. 

"Yes," said Thrawn, who cradled the diminutive yellow lizard in his lap, having grown used to it seeking him out as a source of warmth. "I have used this to my advantage on several occasions." 

Ezra raised an eyebrow. "You've gone undercover? Is that something Admirals even _need_ to do?"

"It was earlier on in my career. There were political adversaries I required various contacts to deal with." 

"Yeah, the Empire's known for that," Ezra snorted. "You must've always been pretty good to get promoted at all. Were you really the only non-human in the navy?" 

"I was the only non-human officer, yes," Thrawn confirmed, "Although there were others involved in regional work as the navy saw fit, operating as independent contractors. I am also doubtful that this is still a game of _twenty_ _questions_."

"I'm helping us both. You ask the most boring questions." 

"The purpose of this game is to gather information that we do not have, is it not?" 

Ezra rolled his eyes. "The purpose is to keep ourselves entertained. There aren't exactly any holo-boards of dejarik in sight now are there?" 

Thrawn's glowing red eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he ran his fingers through the lizards soft mane of fur. It had gotten thicker since the time they'd found it. "Perhaps, but there is no reason we cannot carve physical game pieces. The natives of Mimban carved playing pieces out of wood before visiting traders brought technology to their world. I have studied the region's art quite extensively." 

"Boo," called Ezra, cupping his hands over his cheeks. "Nerd." 

Thrawn glared at him, but he was pretty sure he saw the faintest trace of amusement in the Chiss's features. He was odd like that. He seemed to have a stubborn aversion to showing emotion. Ezra found it endlessly strange that someone with so many varied interests showed no excitement whatsoever when talking about them. Imperial force of habit, maybe? A result of Chiss culture? 

"Do you believe the liberation of Lothal was successful?" 

Ezra was caught off guard by the sudden question. "What?" 

"It is my turn to ask a question of you." 

"Yeah, I _know_." The young Jedi treated him to a scrutinizing look. Thrawn didn't even flinch. "Why would you ask me that?" 

"The Empire could have returned." 

"I know." Ezra swallowed. "I know, and it won't be a problem. My friends can handle it." 

"You have a great deal of faith in your friends." 

"Yeah. Yeah, I do. We've faced far worse and won." Ezra crossed his arms. "What's it to you, anyway?" 

Thrawn didn't appear fazed, only mildly contemplative. The lizard rolled over, exposing its belly like a Loth-cat. "I was merely thinking that perhaps mine was the wrong gamble to take." 

Ezra frowned, leaning forward. "What do you mean?" 

The fire lit on the ground between them cast dark shadows over the Chiss's dark blue skin. 

"The Empire is powerful and at no lack of resources." Thrawn's gaze was sharp yet strangely muted in the light. "This is why I hinged on the Empire to be an ally to my people. The ally we needed. However, observing the resilience of your rebellion has lead me to believe that..." He trailed off, scratching at the lizard's head, and its delighted purrs added to the silence of the night and the cackling fire. 

"I don't think the rebellion could've spared the resources to help your people," said Ezra bitterly. "They didn't entirely want to help mine. We took matters into our own hands." 

"That is what I am referring to," said Thrawn, looking up. "Perhaps resilience and unity is all the Chiss need to defend themselves." 

Ezra blinked. "You...said the Chiss were divided. Fighting each other." 

"Yes. I am afraid that we will not be able to achieve that which we need most." Thrawn pressed his fingers together, stretching his palms in thought. "But your rebellion was also divided, yet your handful of allies accomplished a seemingly impossible task without their intervention at the crucial moment." 

"We had purgill," said Ezra dryly, with a chuckle. 

"A surprise the enemy could not have possibly anticipated. That was all it took." Thrawn closed his eyes, like the beginnings of a plan were coming to him. Burying himself in his own thoughts even as he addressed Ezra. "I see now that I may not need the Empire to defend my people." 

"You need a whole lot of luck and a couple of Jedi, if it's our model you have in mind," said Ezra. 

"Perhaps," said the Chiss. "Perhaps not." 

Another dream, tonight, but one that felt very real. 

Csilla. The Star Destroyer hanging in orbit, but ashen skies, a battle in progress. 

Thrawn's eyes tracked over the enemy vessels, looking for flight patterns, weaknesses, holes to exploit. He had taken note of weaknesses in their own defenses, too, when he felt a familiar presence by his side. 

"You think this can be salvaged, sir?" 

Thrawn turned to him. "You tell me, Commander Vanto." 

The human cracked a minute grin. His skin shouldn't have appeared its usual warm colour in this frigid cold, but it did, and the sun somehow glinted in his eyes. 

"I know that you see some things we can use. So, yeah. Yeah, I think we have a fair shot." 

The figure wore Mandalorian armour and walked with a familiar stride. Approached him until their tall shadows were touching even though they were standing apart. 

"You weren't easy to find," said Sabine, taking off her helmet. Her hair was a new colour, again, but her playful gaze was still too familiar. Familiar, and a little sad. 

"That was the idea," said Ezra, taking half a step closer. Then another. Then a few more, until she was catching him by the shoulders, and he was burying his face in one hard metal plate. 

"You've grown taller," said Sabine. "Skinnier. Bit ugly, too, but it's nothing a haircut won't fix." 

Ezra laughed and cried in relief and overwhelming fondness, unable to wrench away, while two Beskar-clad arm braces met around his middle. 

"Okay, Admiral Monch, your turn. You got anything to ask your new favourite friend?" 

The yellow lizard chirped loudly and happily. Thrawn took his usual place on the other side of the fire, setting down a handful of wooden blocks. 

"I believe we do not need to trade questions for entertainment today," remarked the Chiss. "Over the past week I attempted to recreate some of the Mimban's playing pieces. These will be adequate for a game of strategy." 

Ezra set Admiral Monch down at his feet, where the creature scampered off to make itself comfortable behind Thrawn's weathered boots. 

"You mean dejarik?" 

"Not quite." Thrawn set out the pieces in neat rows, in an arrangement Ezra didn't recognize from any of the games he'd played before. "I intend to pick apart your mind for what you know about utilizing the element of surprise in warfare, and other strategic skills you may have." 

Ezra's eyes widened. "You're kidding. Right? You want me to play against _you?_ " 

"Admiral Monch may assist you, if you feel the playing field is not level," said Thrawn with a perfectly straight face. Ezra laughed. 

"Yeah, no. What's this really about?" 

"Winning against overwhelming odds," said Thrawn. "For now, you will command the smaller fleet. The Ascendancy's fleet. And I will be playing as our enemies." 

Ezra inched forward, taking his place behind the line Thrawn had set up for him. He was right; it was the smaller fleet－ _much_ smaller. Thrawn had three times the number of pieces on his side of the board. 

"I really don't think this is going to work." 

"That is how I felt about the Ascendancy's chances against the Far Outsiders," said Thrawn. "A force far more powerful and strategically gifted than ours. Which is the situation you now find yourself in." 

"Oh, kriffing banthasticks," muttered Ezra. He picked up one of the pieces, giving the fast woodwork a cursory inspection. Thrawn's work was neat but minimal. 

Thrawn looked ready to obliterate him in a matter of seconds. Calm, composed, not impatient at all; the mark of someone who knew they were going to win. 

Yet Thrawn was counting on him to pull a victory out of this. Somehow. Despite insurmountable odds. 

Ezra grinned wryly. "Alright, what the heck. How do I play?"

**Author's Note:**

> I...I just need my blueberries to realize what they have in common and get along, okay?🥺
> 
> More Thrawn & Ezra adventures on my tumblr @hoofgirl and in my fic [Between the Seams.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21221564/chapters/50524133)


End file.
